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If your business's operations currently include – or are expected to include – land-based transportation of goods as part of the IMEC corridor or any of its segments (e.g., Greece<>India; Greece<>Israel; Greece<>Jordan; Greece<>Saudi Arabia; Israel<>Jordan Cyprus<>India, etc.), we would appreciate receiving details regarding the scope of this activity by filling out the questionnaire at the following link: https://tinyurl.com/yc44yhcc, or by reaching out via the following email address: Alexeip@chamber.org.il. The collected data will support the development of a future feasibility assessment to advance the corridor.

The IMEC Initiative

The IMEC initiative is a collaboration between India, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Jordan, Israel, the United States, and the European Union. Its goal is to enhance trade connectivity between Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, to offer a fast and flexible alternative to the Suez Canal and to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, and to strengthen economic and strategic cooperation among the initiative’s partner nations. Although the initiative was officially launched at the G20 Summit in September 2023 during President Biden’s term, the trend of strengthening trade and economic ties between the Gulf states, India, and Israel began during President Trump’s first term—inter-alia through the advancement of the Abraham Accords.

Logistically, the IMEC corridor is expected to connect major ports in India and the Persian Gulf, and from there continue by rail through the Saudi-Jordanian-Israeli rail network to Mediterranean ports (Haifa in Israel, and later Cyprus/Greece/Italy). The corridor is projected to reduce shipping time between India and Europe by approximately 40%, though it will also involve higher transportation costs compared to maritime shipping due to the rail component and additional operational expenses. As such, it will be particularly suited for high-value or time-sensitive goods such as electronics, pharmaceuticals, and agricultural produce. It should be noted that the corridor will not be limited to the transfer of goods only, but it also includes plans for laying high-speed fiber optic communication cables and fuel/gas pipelines, aimed at connecting Gulf energy producers with European consumers — which could significantly improve the project's long-term economic viability and strategic value.

No final cost estimate has been determined for the corridor’s development, but early projections suggest a required investment in the tens of billions of dollars. As of now, Saudi Arabia is the only country to have committed a major investment — approximately $20 billion. The cost of a comprehensive feasibility study to assess the project’s viability is estimated at several hundred thousand to several millions of dollars, depending on its scope. Without such a study—providing reliable data on the economic and strategic feasibility of IMEC — it will be significantly harder to convince business stakeholders to participate in this project.

Think Big, Start Small

Large projects don’t materialize overnight — they progress in stages. This approach is also necessary for IMEC, which is often seen as a mega-project with an enormous price tag, leading to skepticism about its feasibility. Therefore, the right way to promote the project is by addressing its main bottleneck: the border crossings between Israel and Jordan. Currently, the condition of these crossings is problematic — very few trucks pass through them, which slows down the flow of goods between the two countries and, in certain cases, between all parts of the corridor. Upgrading these crossings would enable optimal use of this land bridge, boost regional trade flows, and create a solid foundation for broader IMEC implementation.

Investment in the Israel–Jordan crossings could come from private entities identifying a profit opportunity and operating the terminals through a BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) model. However, this will first require convincing those entities of the investment’s profitability, via a comprehensive study that could be part of the corridor’s broader feasibility assessment. At the same time, it is crucial for the Trump administration to take proactive steps with regional governments — such as encouraging them to allow private-sector management of the crossings — in order to accelerate their upgrade and integrate them into the developing economic corridor. This could be supported by offering economic and political incentives, including making financial aid conditional on the completion of the required upgrades. Such improvements could significantly benefit both the Jordanian and Israeli economies — by expanding Jordan’s ability to import and export goods to countries located west of its borders including in Europe, and by increasing the volume of goods flowing through Israeli ports.

At the end of the day, upgrading the Israel–Jordan crossings is the most realistic and meaningful step toward advancing IMEC and transforming it from a theoretical idea into a functioning economic corridor, even if only partially, with immediate impact on the region’s economies and without the need to expand the Abraham Accords in the short term. Once activity at the crossings increases and their feasibility is proven — thus building trust within the business community — it will be possible to move on to the next phases of the project, including completing the rail links between Jordan and the Gulf, and upgrading Israel’s ports. From a broader corridor perspective, the rehabilitation of Gaza could also be considered — this would require developing the crossings into Gaza (and, at the same time, connecting Egypt’s railway system to the corridor). Gaza’s reconstruction — which could be kick-started by revenues from the offshore Marine gas field — could serve as a major catalyst for further corridor development, for example by importing construction materials from the Gulf states into Gaza for reconstruction purposes.

Where Do We Go from Here?

After the events of October 7th, it is clear that peace based on hugs and kisses doesn’t reflect the reality of the Middle East. But one thing is certainly possible in this region: more stability and calm. Such stability can only be achieved through a convergence of economic interests, which have always been the real engine of progress in international relations. In such a stable environment, even the Palestinians — who are not official participants in the project — could benefit from improved access to Gulf markets and maritime ports, along with the opportunity to join regional economic ventures. While many tend to focus on Israel’s technological collaborations, in our view, what will truly strengthen regional ties in the context of the IMEC is traditional trade — large-scale, long-term deals based on consistent demand for goods such as construction materials, metals, and chemicals. For this kind of trade to materialize, and to ensure that the IMEC initiative does not lose its strategic advantage to competing regional projects, we recommend focusing on three clear and actionable steps to advance IMEC:

A. Establish regional working groups of businesspeople with a vested interest in the project.

B. Secure funding for a feasibility study.

C. Promoting U.S. involvement in encouraging regional governments to prioritize the upgrade of Israel–Jordan crossings.

If your business's operations currently include – or are expected to include – land-based transportation of goods as part of the IMEC corridor or any of its segments (e.g., Greece<>India; Greece<>Israel; Greece<>Jordan; Greece<>Saudi Arabia; Israel<>Jordan Cyprus<>India, etc.), we would appreciate receiving details regarding the scope of this activity by filling out the questionnaire at the following link: https://tinyurl.com/yc44yhcc, or by reaching out via the following email address: Alexeip@chamber.org.il. The collected data will support the development of a future feasibility assessment to advance the corridor.